a quick trick for 357 is to set up your dies for the 38's and then use a 1/8" thick washer under your expanding,seating and crimping dies. Works great as long as you're using the same bullets. Decapping/sizing die is set the same for both.

a quick trick for 357 is to set up your dies for the 38's and then use a 1/8" thick washer under your expanding,seating and crimping dies. Works great as long as you're using the same bullets. Decapping/sizing die is set the same for both.

My RCBS .38/.357 Dies came with a 1/8" thick spacer to put under the dies as discussed. It works pretty slick. It's just a big round washer with a hole in the middle big enough for the dies to fit through.

My Lee dies need no stinking washer confused: or is that " badges ?"), just adjusting for which cartridge you are loading

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...........but RJay, you're missing the point. With the washer provided with the RCBS Dies you only have to set them up one time for .38's. Then after that to convert to .357 Mag's., you just have to add the washer and it's ready to go ba-da-bing.

Redding sells a three-pack of spacers. One for changing 38 to 357. One for changing 44 special to 44 magnum (the length difference in those two is different than 38/357 length difference), and a skinny one that goes under your seat/crimp die, so you don't crimp the case, in case you want to use a separate crimping die.

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